Honors U.S. History (HUSH) and Honors World Studies teacher Nathan Tornow will not be returning next school year as he is moving to Poughkeepsie, New York to be closer to his wife’s family. 

Tornow has taught at Jones for six years and has served as the Social Studies Department Chair for the past two. Colleagues of Tornow say he does an admirable job and that they enjoy working under his leadership. 

“He’s been a great department head to work for. He’s very communicative and makes sure that everybody’s interests are respected,” said Dan Kovacs, Honors World Studies teacher.

Outside of the classroom, Tornow acts as the teacher sponsor for Black Student Union (BSU), a role he has valued while at Jones. 

“I have been honored to be asked, and continually asked, to return as sponsor of the Black Student Union,” said Tornow. “And while I take care of the logistical, adult things with the club, I very much have learned a lot from them, have grown as a teacher and a person pretty significantly in the last four years.”

The future’s not set in stone as Tornow is currently looking for a job but hopes to continue teaching history. 

“I do not currently have a job yet. I’m applying for new teaching jobs in New York State. So I don’t know what’s in store for me next year,” said Tornow. “If all goes completely different, maybe I’ll find myself not teaching, I’m not sure. But the goal is to be teaching history again next year.”

Students of Tornow say they will miss him and are sad that other Jones students will not be able to experience his class in the future. 

“My sister had him and was excited for me to have him. He is an amazing teacher and does a good job teaching HUSH. I think other students would benefit from having him,” said Sydney Knupp ‘24. 

Tornow says he has appreciated his students and how they have forced him to evolve as an educator. 

“I’ve been very grateful to work with students who are skilled and ambitious, who want to learn and have challenged me in ways, I appreciate that,” said Tornow. “It’s not always comfortable but both in the classroom and with BSU, they have challenged me to grow as a teacher.”

Besides the students, Tornow will miss his colleagues and the social studies department as a whole.

“I will very much miss my colleagues. You stay year after year and those relationships grow and grow. So I will certainly miss them and I appreciate them. And I wish them all the best,” said Tornow. 

These feelings are not one sided, as teachers in the social studies department will miss both his demeanor and leadership.

“I will miss having a leader who is empathetic to the needs and desires of his staff,” said Kovacs. “He takes everybody’s point of view into consideration for the decisions he makes and he understands that his decisions affect how we teach. [He is a] great boss to work for.”

Before he leaves, Tornow has one last message to the Jones community:

“My biggest overarching message to everybody, and all the interactions I’ve had, is just to be as kind and understanding as possible. We  could all use a little bit of that.”